Dole's Waialua Estate 70%: Yes, made by Dole, makers of canned fruit and raisins; but don't judge based on the brand! This is an absolutely delightful bar. It arrives as five ten-gram bars, the perfect size for tasting. The taste is rich and fruity. However, in comparison with the bars which followed, the Dole bar had a powdery flavor, more like cocoa powder than smooth cocoa butter.
Rogue Chocolatier Rio Caribe 70%: Like the Rogue Hispaniola, the texture and physical properties of the Rogue Chocolatier product are exceptional. For it's melting properties, tempering and presentation it is the best chocolate available. The flavor of the Rio Caribe is lower in profile than the Hispaniola, like an oboe as compared to a flute. They both sing, just at different registers. It was delicious, and indulgent in a way that only deep, creamy chocolate can be.
Francois Pralus Republique Dominicaine 75%: I have a new lover. No no no, H isn't going anywhere. I mean a new chocolate love. A new relationship in cocoa. It is this bar, made with organically grown cocoa, grown in Madagascar with trees from the Dominican Republic, processed in France, consumed in America. Ahh, the taste of organic chocolate, with the heady overtones of jet fuel. No matter, this bar is so divine that it will banish all thoughts of melting ice caps for those of melting chocolate. Like the Hispaniola, this bar has fine, sharp berry flavors. It is a more finely tuned instrument, however, than the Rogue chocolates. Each note is in perfect harmony. It made me eat chocolate like a kid, one grand corner snapped off, then another, until half the bar was gone!
Now that's something to be thankful for this season.
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